January 07, 2014

Canada: H1N1 flu in Alberta causes 10 deaths

Ten people between the ages of 18 and 64 have died from flu, Alberta health officials said Monday.

Of the 300 people now in hospital, 40 are in the intensive care unit.

Some of the people who died had underlying health conditions.

Dr. James Talbot, the chief medical officer of health for Alberta Health, said the outbreak is not a pandemic, but H1N1 is the recurring strain people are getting this year.

"Virtually all of the influenza that we're seeing in the province this year is H1N1," he said.

More people have been immunized at this point than last year, Talbot added.

Over the past few days, the escalation in flu cases has prompted health officials to urge people to get a flu shot. Long lineups have been reported outside of clinics operated by Alberta Health Services.

People over the age of nine can also get flu shots at drug stores, but many of them ran out of vaccine over the weekend.

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Ten people between the ages of 18 and 64 have died from flu, Alberta health officials said Monday.

Of the 300 people now in hospital, 40 are in the intensive care unit.

Some of the people who died had underlying health conditions.

Dr. James Talbot, the chief medical officer of health for Alberta Health, said the outbreak is not a pandemic, but H1N1 is the recurring strain people are getting this year.

"Virtually all of the influenza that we're seeing in the province this year is H1N1," he said.

More people have been immunized at this point than last year, Talbot added.

Over the past few days, the escalation in flu cases has prompted health officials to urge people to get a flu shot. Long lineups have been reported outside of clinics operated by Alberta Health Services.

People over the age of nine can also get flu shots at drug stores, but many of them ran out of vaccine over the weekend.